The Person Who Invented Upcycling Was A DIY Genius

Upcycling is perhaps one of the greatest ever DIY inventions. Some genius somewhere realized one day that you could transform the look of your home by using old junk that nobody wanted, so long as you had the artistic ability to make it into something new. This sparked the so-called “upcycling” revolution, and practically everybody wanted to give it a go. After all, who doesn’t want to decorate their home for free?

But upcycling is a lot more challenging than most people imagine. The creative process is never easy, and some items that look as if they could be upcycled never really work well with the rest of the stuff in your home. Here are some tips for upcycling your old junk that actually work.

Prepare The Work Surface

Often when you’re upcycling, you’ll come across something old and wooden, be it a table, chair, cabinet or crib. Whatever it is, there’s a good chance that he paintwork has seen better days. Before you immediately start layering on a new coat of paint, do some sanding down first. Sanding down the surface of the old wood is critical because it creates a smooth surface on which to apply the new layer. Without a smooth surface, the paint will flake off, and you’ll be left with a poor finish. Remember, paint is able to cover a multitude of sins – even things like dents. So if you come across a piece of furniture that looks to be in bad shape, don’t write it off immediately.

Take Items Out Of Storage

Sometimes, finding second-hand furniture can be difficult. The best places to look are local charity shops and car boot sales. You’ll be amazed at some of the items that people throw away without a second thought. There are often many incredible pieces that just need a coat of paint to make new again.

If you decide to take items out of storage, lower the cost by using sites like Shiply. These sites allow you to compare the price of transporting large items of furniture from your storage container to your home, keeping the price of renovating say, a large cabinet, to a minimum.

Look For Inspiration

The creative process is never easy. In fact, coming up with your own ideas to upcycle furniture can be incredibly difficult. With that said, upcycling is easier now than ever before, thanks to sites like Pinterest. Pinterest is probably your best bet when it comes to finding inspiration. Every day, people from all over the internet upload pictures of items that they have upcycled. You’ll find literally hundreds of examples of tables and chests of drawers transformed with a bit of DIY.

Choose A Style

Upcycling, like anything else, is an area of human endeavor with many different styles. Your style and tastes might be different to other people’s, so it’s something well worth cultivating.

To discover what you like, start experimenting with different pieces. Do your design choices fit the decor in the rest of your home?